Deep Blue Blackmail
by Kiddo
Summary: Lucas is sick
1. Chapter 1

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 1

By Kiddo

* * *

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

This story takes place during the first season, between 4 and 6 weeks after the first episode. The episode "Photon Bullet" has not taken place yet. I had the idea for this story while I was lying sick in bed.

The German version of this story is called "Erpresser Unter Sich."

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

For the past 15 minutes, Dr. Westphalen had been observing their youngest crew member out of the corner of her eye. Both were working in the science section of the seaQuest, labeling seaweed and algae samples that had been collected by a member of the science team that morning.

The red-haired doctor shook her head in slight disapproval when she saw the teenager reach for his handkerchief for the second time. It seemed that while she was away at a conference the previous week, nobody had really looked after the boy, and she could now see the results in front of her. Even the 16-year old's blue eyes had a feverish glaze. And nobody could tell her that the boy's illness had just developed overnight. Oh, Nathan would get an earful!

By pure chance, she moved over beside the blonde. "Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

Lucas shook his head. "Not really. Ford had another one of his famous mock battles to keep everyone on their toes. Ben had to play a P.O.W." Thinking back on it, the teenager had to smile. "After that, he was totally finished. It seemed like the commander was really bugging him a lot."

Kristin nodded understanding. "I can picture that pretty easily. Did you also take part in this?"

The teenager nodded. "I programmed the computer to run a few simple scenarios for the commader, but that's all."

To Dr. Westphalen's ears, Lucas's voice sounded deeper than usual, as if he had a sore throat. "I heard that someone was here to make a few updates to the boat's computer system."

The blond boy nodded briefly, and he didn't look terribly pleased. "The guy was here for two days, and he left on the shuttle that brought you back. If you ask me, his presence was totally unnecessary. And I can't figure out what he did to our system since I was only able to look over his shoulder for a short time before I was chased away. I just hope he hasn't done any damage..."

The scientist smiled. "I'm sure that he knew what he was doing. The UEO would never have sent him if he wasn't good at his job."

The teenager raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't count on that."

"Lucas, just because you didn't understand what he was doing, it doesn't mean that he's done any damage to our system."

The computer genius looked at her stubbornly. "I still don't see why I couldn't make the updates. After all, up until now I've taken care of every computer problem we've had."

Kristen had to suppress a smile. So that's what this was all about - Lucas felt like someone was stepping on his toes. "You couldn't do it this time because you are a civilian. You are here because of Darwin and various scientific experiments, not because of the computers."

The teenager exhaled unhappily. "I'm here because my father wanted to get rid of me."

Dr. Westphalen shook her head. "You know what I meant." But she also knew that unfortunately, there was a lot of truth in what Lucas had just said.

"But Bridger always lets me work on the computer when there's something wrong, or when he needs certain information."

"I know, but this is actually not your responsibility, and, strangely, there is no one else on board who is as good with computers as you." Her last statement at least got a small smile out of the boy. "It's Bridger's business when he lets you handle the computers, and it's probably better if the UEO doesn't know so much about it. That's why they sent their computer expert," the doctor tried to explain.

Lucas nodded in understanding. He also knew that the captain did give him more leeway than he should. "But still, I don't understand why he won't even let me take a look at the updates."

Kristen looked at their youngest crew member in surprise. "You really haven't looked at them?"

"NO!" he whined.

"And why not?" Dr. Westphalen was really astonished by his answer.

Lucas stuck a label on a test tube. "If I want to see them then I have to hack into the system."

"As happy as I am that you haven't done it, I'm also quite surprised. I always thought you loved hacking, so why don't you do it?"

The blond teenager made a face. "Because I promised the captain I wouldn't, and I always keep my promises."

So that was the real root of the problem. She felt a bit sorry for the boy. She laid her hand sympathetically on his, and then she pulled him around so that she could face him fully and take his other hand. "Your hands are very warm." Before Lucas had a chance to react, Kristen laid her hand on his forehead. "You have a fever."

The computer genius shook his head and quickly stepped back out of her reach. "No, I'm fine!"

"Believe me Lucas, I've been a doctor long enough to be able to tell whether someone is ill or not. You have a fever, a sore throat, and a cold, if I'm not mistaken. You should be lying in your bed and getting rest, not working."

The teenager frowned. "It's just a little cold, that's all."

"Well then, if that is the case, I'm sure you won't mind coming with me to med bay so that I can examine you," said Kristen.

"It's really just a harmless cold, there's no need to examine me." The fact that he sneezed at just that moment didn't help to convince the doctor he was right.

Dr. Westphalen put her hands on her hips. "I'm still the doctor here, and that means that I decide what is necessary and what is not. Either you go to your cabin, get in bed like a good boy, and let me examine you there, or you come with me to med bay and I can guarantee that you will stay overnight."

Lucas turned up his nose. He didn't like that at all. "That's blackmail!"

The red-haired woman shrugged her shoulders. "You can call it what you want. What is your decision?"

The computer genius grumbled a bit. "I'll go to my cabin."

Kristen smiled. "Good boy!"

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	2. Chapter 2

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 2

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and to every one who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

A short time later, Dr. Westphalen knocked at Lucas's door. She had her medical bag with her.

"Come in." The teenager's voice sounded very husky.

Kristen stepped into the cabin, and, to her pleasure, the computer genius was indeed lying in bed as instructed. The doctor put her bag down, opened it, and pulled out her stethoscope.

"Pull up your t-shirt up so that I can listen to your lungs." Lucas did as he was told, even though he was still unhappy about the whole thing. After a few moments, she nodded. "Very well, you can pull it down." Then, she took a look at his throat and ears. At last, she pulled a thermometer out.

"Is this really necessary? I don't feel that sick," Lucas tried for the last time. It was a lie, but hey, why admit it? To be honest, he was pretty sure that he did have a fever, and as soon as Dr. Westphalen knew that, she would order him to stay in bed, which he really wasn't keen on doing. He just hated being sick.

The doctor smiled. "My offer still stands. Either you open your mouth, or you will come with me to med bay."

"You're really good at this blackmailing stuff." And with that, he gave in and opened his mouth.

A few seconds later, the thermometer began to beep as a sign that it was ready. Dr. Westphalen looked at the display and nodded. "Just as I thought, 101.4. That means staying in bed for at least the next two days, and possibly longer." She pulled a bottle of pills out of her bag. "You need to take three pills each day. The best way to do this is to take the first with breakfast, the second with lunch, and the third with supper. For the next two days, I will send somebody to bring you something to eat. After that, we'll re-evaluate."

Lucas looked irritatedly at the doctor. "I'm not so sick that I can't go to the mess hall."

Kristen shook her head. "No, you will stay in your cabin and not get out of bed."

"But why not? I'm not that sick. I'll be bored to death." The teenager tried giving her the puppy eyes. "Can I at least visit Darwin? Please?"

Dr. Westphalen wanted to say no at first, but then she gave in. "All right, but only once a day and for a very short time, and you absolutely cannot get wet."

The computer genius nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks, that's great!"

The red-haired woman shook her head. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to regret this?"

Lucas could only smile innocently at her.

* * *

Quite furious, Dr. Westphalen marched into Captain Bridger's cabin. She thought about knocking first and waiting for an answer but then thought it unnecessary. She was mad, and Bridger would know it.

Nathan Bridger looked up from his paperwork. He looked confusedly at the red-haired woman - what had gotten into her? "Hello Kristen, nice to see you. Can I help you?"

The doctor gave him her famous 'Dr. Westphalen glare.' "Don't play ignorant with me. I'm only gone for a week, and everything is absolutely chaotic."

The captain raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about." Anger was sparkling in her eyes. When it came to a patient, she wouldn't take any nonsense.

Nathan felt like a defendant on trial and not like a UEO captain. "I really don't know what you mean."

Kristen folded her arms. "I'm talking about Lucas."

The captain pricked up his ears at that, and he got a worried expression on his face. "What about him?"

"He is sick, and it seems that no one noticed. Anyway, I sent him to bed." Now she sat down on the chair opposite Nathan.

Bridger thought back for a moment. "Lucas said that it was just a cold."

"And you believed him?"

"Of course, why not? He's 16, not a little child."

Dr. Westphalen looked reproachfully at him. "We are talking about Lucas, not about a normal 16-year old. Other rules apply to him. As soon as the boy sees a computer, he totally forgets to eat or sleep. Lucas has to prove himself here all the time, to justify that he has earned his place on the seaQuest, and that means that he won't allow himself a break just because he's sick. You should have insisted that he have a doctor to take a look at him."

The captain groaned. "Yes, you're probably right. I'm sorry."

Kristen nodded. "Good. Do you know how long he's been sick?"

Bridger's forehead wrinkled as he thought. "The first time I noticed it was 4 days ago." Nathan could see that the red-haired woman didn't like his answer at all. She really knew how to make a person feel guilty. "How is he now?"

"He has a fever, and he needs a lot of rest."

The captain nodded thoughtfully. "And what do we do now?" Even as he asked it, he had to wonder about this question. For one thing, he never would have thought to ask this question if it was another crew member. And for another, he would also never have gotten told off by the ship's doctor if it was another crew member.

"A little bit of parental nursing, and he will be fit again in a few days," said Dr. Westphalen.

"But his parents aren't here, and I won't send him back to them for sure." The little bits and pieces that Nathan had heard about Lucas's parents were enough to show him that neither would provide any loving care for their sick child. Even a healthy one seemed to be more than they could handle.

"Then we will have to do it for them." Kristen shrugged. "We actually seem to do it already."

Bridger nodded. "I can't deny it."

Dr. Westphalen smiled. "It's a bit strange with Lucas. As soon as you get to know him, you just have to love him. I can see it with everybody."

The captain nodded thoughtfully at that. He had also observed this about himself. Somehow, the boy had managed to inspire fatherly feelings in him. It seemed to be similar with Kristen. After all, she protected Lucas like a lion would with her cub. He'd seen it most recently when she came storming into his cabin like a tornado and gave him hell because the teenager was sick. But, he knew that she was right about one thing; he should have made sure that the teenager had gone to med bay to get checked out. "I'll visit him later."

The doctor nodded. "That's good. He's already afraid that he will bore himself to death. But with his personality, I really tend to doubt it. Just the opposite, in fact; I think a bit of quiet will be good for him."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	3. Chapter 3

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 3

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation. 

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

Lucas sat on his bed with his back against the wall, his covers pulled over his legs. In front of him lay a pile of papers, which he marked from time to time and on which he made occasional notes in the margins. 

A CD of rock music was playing in the background, and Darwin was swimming in the aqua-tube.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Without looking up from the papers, he called out, "Come in!" and highlighted another interesting passage.

Nathan Bridger stepped into the cabin and closed the door behind him. In one hand was a thermos and in the other, a mug with the seaQuest logo on it. "Hello, Lucas."

The computer genius now looked up from his papers and laid them down on the covers. "Hi."

"How are you feeling? Dr. Westphalen told me that you're sick." The captain turned the desk chair around so that it faced the bed, and he sat down.

The teenager made a face. "Oh, she's just overreacting. It's just a little cold." Being sick meant showing weakness, and Lucas didn't want to do that. "Can't you convince her that I'm OK to work?"

Bridger shook his head. The red-haired woman had been right. The boy's voice did sound like he had a sore throat. It also sounded like he couldn't really breathe through his nose, and his eyes were glazed with fever. He must have gotten worse overnight; when he had seen the boy yesterday evening, he had appeared to be fever free. Now he could understand very clearly why the doctor had been so angry. Nathan thought about the fact that if he had sent the teenager to med bay immediately, it wouldn't have gotten so bad so fast - it really would have been only a little cold.

"I'm sorry, Lucas, but a fever should never been taken lightly. The most important thing now is to get well again and rest." He picked up the thermos. "I brought something for you."

The young man was stunned. "Thanks, but you really didn't have to." He wasn't used to such friendly or thoughtful gestures. Nobody had ever brought him tea in bed at home.

"Trust me, it's the least I can do." The captain twisted the cap off the thermos and poured the hot tea in the cup. "Here, drink this before it gets cold."

Lucas took the cup between both hands. "Thanks." He took a small sip.

Bridger put the thermos down next to the bed and pointed at the pile of papers that the blond teen had been going through. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing special. These are just the latest discoveries about seaweed research and other stuff like that."

Nathan took the paper on top and skimmed over it. It sounded really complicated and pompous. This wasn't proper reading material for someone who was sick. "I think I'd better take that with me." He collected all the papers.

"Hey, I wanted to read that!" The full cup of tea in his hands prevented the boy from stopping the captain.

"You need to rest and not to think about anything work-related."

"But reading isn't work for me," Lucas tried to reason.

Bridger shook his head. Stopping the boy from working was as easy as looking after a sack of fleas. "I want you to really rest. Read a regular book, watch a DVD, or do something like that. The second I catch you doing anything work-related, I will confiscate your computer for a week, possibly longer." Nathan knew that if this threat didn't work, then nothing would.

Lucas frowned. "Why do I get the feeling that I've fallen in with a gang of blackmailers and that I'm not on a UEO submarine."

Captain Bridger, who knew from Dr. Westphalen what the teenager was referring to, decided not to reply and only smiled knowledgeably.

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	4. Chapter 4

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 3

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

Carrying a tray laden with a bowl of steaming soup and a glass of orange juice, Lt. Krieg stepped into Lucas's cabin. "Hey, Lucas, Dr. Westphalen sent me to bring you something to eat." It seemed like a miracle that he hadn't spilled anything. 

The blond teenager got up und looked at the tray. "Is this chicken soup?" Krieg nodded. Lucas looked at it in disbelief. "They never served that before!"

Once again the moral officer nodded. "Oh, Dr. Westphalen wouldn't shut up until the cook agreed to make chicken soup for you."

The teenager's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Oh."

Ben sighed. "Yeah, yeah, she didn't do that for me when I had the flu."

The teenager was grinning. "You're probably not nice enough to her."

Krieg shook his head. "I could be as nice as Mother Teresa, and she still wouldn't do that for me."

Lucas shrugged. "Then I guess there's no hope for you."

The lieutenant turned around. "I have to go. And besides, I don't want to keep you from eating."

When Ben was gone, the blond teenager sat down on the chair and thoughtfully stirred the soup with his spoon. The whole thing was really strange. His parents had never really cared for him when he was sick, and now, people who were under no obligation to care for him were caring for him of their own free will. Strange... really strange!

* * *

The next morning, Lucas was standing at the edge of the Moon Pool, feeding Darwin some fish. Just moments ago he had been playing with the dolphin. 

Dr. Westphalen had, in fact, said that he shouldn't stay with Darwin for too long, but she hadn't specified an exact length of time. And besides, 'not too long' was a completely subjective phrase. At least the teenager tried to follow her other order and stay as dry as possible.

"So, two more fish and the bucket is empty." The teen took one of the remaining fish and threw it to his wet friend. When the dolphin had swallowed the fish, Lucas gave him the last one.

The blond boy took the bucket and put it aside. Then, he went back to the pool.

"Lucas play." The dolphin swam closer to the edge.

The computer genius pulled his sleeve up and glanced at his watch. "Okay, but only for a little bit longer. And remember, don't get me wet."

It looked like Darwin was nodding in agreement. "Or doctor get angry."

The teenager grinned. "Exactly." He looked around for something to play with. "Should I get the yellow ball?"

"Yes." The dolphin swam circles in the water.

Lucas took the ball and threw it in Darwin's direction. The dolphin jumped up and bounced it back to his two-legged friend with his tail. The teen had to get the ball, as Darwin's shot had too much force. Lucas ran after the ball, picked it up, and went back to the pool.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the doors to the Moon Pool began to shut, and the lights began to flicker.

The computer genius looked up in annoyance. "What's going on?" He laid the ball on the floor and went to the door to try and open it. He had little success. Lucas became suspicious; what was the meaning of this? Nobody had said anything about any tests, and they weren't in the middle of a battle. If that had been the case, a red alert would have been sounded.

Suddenly, a beeping sound started coming from the boy's pocket. He grabbed his Pal quickly. "Yeah, Lucas here." He was sure that now he would find out more.

"This is Bridger. We have a problem on the bridge, and we think that it could be related to the computers."

The blond boy nodded. "Did the door just shut, and are the lights acting up?"

"Yeah, among other things. How did you know?"

"The same thing happened where I am." As he was talking into the Pal, he tried to open the door, but the door didn't budge.

Bridger paused to think. He felt horrible for what he was about to ask - after all his youngest crew member was ill - but he didn't know what else to do. Lucas was the best with computers, and, therefore, this was the only solution. "Could you please hack into the system with your computer? Maybe you can find out where exactly the problems lie."

The teenager frowned. "I don't have my computer with me."

Now it was Nathan's turn to frown. "You always have your computer with you. I saw it on your desk this morning." Suddenly something clicked in Bridger's brain. "Where are you?"

"At the Moon Pool." The boy coughed once.

The captain breathed deeply. "What the hell are you doing at the Moon Pool?"

"I'm visiting Darwin," Lucas said, still trying to open the door.

"I thought that Dr. Westphalen ordered you to stay in bed."

The teen nodded. "Yeah, she did, with the exception that I can visit Darwin for a short time once a day."

Bridger decided that it was better not to ask Lucas about his definition of 'short time.' They had more important issues to deal with at the moment. "Is there any other computer you can use?"

Lucas let his eyes wander around the entire room. Unfortunately, he was in the area of the Moon Pool where there were no computers or consoles. The only piece of equipment at hand was the Vocorder, and that wouldn't do him any good. "No, nothing."

Nathan hit his hand against the back of his chair. "Damn it! Then we just need to think of something else."

"I'm really sorry Captain." The teenager felt awful about the whole situation.

"It's alright, Lucas, it's not your fault. Bridger out." And with that, the captain ended the conversation. He'd have to find another way.

Now the blond boy focused all of his attention on the door, although he didn't really believe that he would get it open. The doors of the seaQuest were constructed so that if they were closed by the computer system, as had just happened, then you couldn't easily open them manually.

Five minutes later, Lucas gave up. Without his computer, he had no chance of getting the door open. Again he let his eyes wander throughout the room. Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to something. Why hadn't he thought of that before! It was perfect!

Lucas gripped his orange Pal and switched it on.

"Yes, Bridger." Nathan's voice sounded slightly unnerved, like he was stressed.

"Lucas, here. Do you still need me to fix the computer?"

"Yes, and quickly too. Since I spoke to you before, some of the other systems have started acting up or are flat out not working."

"Okay, I'll be on the bridge in a few minutes," said the teen and nodded.

As happy as Nathan was to hear that, he was also surprised. "How? Even if you manage to open the door to the Moon Pool, all the other doors are still closed."

"I wasn't able to open the door, but I just found another way to get to the bridge." Lucas was being intentionally vague.

Bridger's mental alarm was going off. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see." The teen took care not to tell the captain about his plans. If he did, the older man would surely forbid him to do what he was thinking. But, he could tell from Bridger's tone of voice that they really needed his help. "Lucas out."

"Lucas no, wait! Tell me…"

The teenager couldn't hear the captain finish his sentence. He had already ended the call.

Lucas's Pal started to beep as Bridger tried to reach him again, but the teen just ignored it.

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	5. Chapter 5

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 5

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

"I wasn't able to open the door, but I just found another way to get to the bridge." Lucas was being intentionally vague.

Bridger's mental alarm was going off. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see." The teen took care not to tell the captain about his plans. If he did, the older man would surely forbid him to do what he was thinking. But, he could tell from Bridger's tone of voice that they really needed his help. "Lucas out."

"Lucas no, wait! Tell me…"

The teenager couldn't hear the captain finish his sentence. He had already ended the call.

Lucas's Pal started to beep as Bridger tried to reach him again, but the teen just ignored it.

The young genius looked around, and when he spotted a pair of diving goggles, he went over and grabbed them. As a trade, he put his beeping Pal down where the goggles had been lying a second before. Then, he went back to the pool and turned to the dolphin. "Darwin, I really need to get to the bridge. Can you please take me there?"

It almost looked like the animal was shaking his head. "No. Lucas not allowed to get wet."

The teenager made a face. "I know, but that applied only for a short time. Now I'm allowed to get wet."

"No, Lucas sick. Not allowed to get wet."

"I have to get to the bridge, and the only way is for me to swim through the aqua tubes. If you won't help me, then I'll do it on my own. But if you'll help me, I'll get there much faster, and that means that I won't have to stay in the cold water as long." Lucas felt slightly guilty. Now he was blackmailing a dolphin.

For a moment, Darwin said nothing. Then, he made a few clicks and whistles that the Vocorder translated. "Okay. Darwin help Lucas."

The teenager smiled. "Thanks, Dar."

"Doctor will be angry."

The blond boy nodded. "Yeah, probably. But don't worry, she'll only be angry with me, not you." At least he hoped so. He really didn't want to get his best friend into trouble. "You have to know that I just need to do this. The others need my help, and I can only help if I can get to a computer."

The young genius took one last look around the room, but to his regret, he saw that no wetsuits were lying around. There was a small room near the Moon Pool where the wetsuits were kept, but since all the doors were closed, he couldn't get to one.

Lucas sighed; he would just have to go without one. All the same, he was terrified of the cold water. The wetsuits really could keep most of the cold out… The teenager pulled off his blue sneakers and his socks. Finally, he also took his pullover off and put the diving goggles on. With only his jeans and t-shirt on, Lucas jumped into the Moon Pool.

The initial shock took his breath away. The water was even colder than he had imagined, but maybe that was also because of his fever.

Darwin swam next to the boy, and Lucas gripped the dolphin's dorsal fin. "Okay, Darwin, take me to the bridge."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006

* * *

Information:

A lot of you were right with the guess that Lucas will use the aqua tubes. There would also be the logically solution of crawling to the air vents like somebody said. But I didn't want to use this. The aqua tups are more elfy ;-)

I know this chapter was really short, therefore I try to update the next chapter faster.


	6. Chapter 6

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 6

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

A short while later, Darwin appeared in the pool on the bridge, Lucas clinging to his dorsal fin and breathing heavily. Everyone looked shocked.

Bridger was the first one to react and hurried over to them. "Lucas, are you out of your mind?" He helped the boy out of the water. "You shouldn't be in the cold water in your condition."

"Nice to see you too." Sarcasm was his default response. "I thought you needed me here quickly." Water was dripping off of him.

"Of course, but not like this." The captain just didn't know what to say.

The teenager threw up his hands. "I can swim back." He wasn't really serious, but nevertheless, he turned back to the pool.

Nathan Bridger gripped the boy's arm. "Don't you dare." He was shaking his head, stunned. "Oh god, Kristen will kill me!"

At that, Lucas became serious. "I think you'll have enough time to escape since she'll be busy hunting me down first." He really feared his next meeting with the doctor.

"Don't worry, she won't do that. At least not immediately. She'll be extremely angry with you, but just remember, you're sick, and that means she'll mother you first and take her anger out on me. It will be your turn later when you're well again."

"I'm really sorry, Captain." Water was still dripping off of him.

"It's alright, we can't do anything about that now." He unbuttoned his uniform shirt and took it off. Now Bridger was only wearing a T-shirt. "Take your T-shirt off." He held out his shirt for the boy to take.

"Captain, you don't need to…"

But before Lucas could finish his sentence, Nathan cut him off. "This isn't an offer, Mr. Wolenczak, it's an order." He was still holding his uniform shirt in front of the boy. As wet as he was, the teenager would catch his death. He wished that he could offer more than just his shirt. Why weren't there any kits with blankets on the bridge in case of emergencies?

Now the teenager took off his T-shirt and pulled on Bridger's shirt. "Thanks." He had to cuff the sleeves once or twice, otherwise they'd be too long. The whole shirt was actually a bit too big, but at least it was something dry.

Finally, Lucas took a look around the bridge. The lights were flickering, and the doors where shut. But, he also remembered that Bridger had said that some of the other systems were also acting up. He decided it was time to find out about that. "What other systems besides the lights and the doors are not working properly?"

"A few of the computers have totally shut down, and our communications system is also not working. We were able to contact a few people by Pal, but not everyone. Oh, and we can't connect to anything outside of the seaQuest; no contact to the UEO, no Vidphone, no Internex, nothing. We're totally isolated," explained the captain worriedly.

Lucas thought for a moment. It was clear to him that there was either a glitch in the computer system, or this was caused by a virus. In his opinion, nothing else could cause all this. Now he could only hope that he could help the crew and not disappoint them. "Can I take a look at the computer system?"

Bridger nodded immediately. After all, he had called the boy for just that purpose. "Of course." He led the teen over to one of the still-working computers. "I really hope that you can help us with this. None of us is able to understand the information that the computer is spitting out."

Lucas nodded and sat down. "I'll give it my best."

Nathan smiled and briefly put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "We know that."

For a moment, the teenager just looked at everything currently on the screen. Then, he started to type and looked at one part of the system after the other.

Ten minutes later, Lucas was sitting motionless in front of the computer, staring thoughtfully at the screen.

Bridger didn't miss that and stepped next to the teenager. "Everything okay? Have you found something?"

The young genius now turned his eyes away from the computer. "Do you have any information about Erikson?" Mike Erikson was the computer expert that had made the updates to the seaQuest's system.

The captain wrinkled his forehead. "No, not really. Only that what the admiral has told me, and that was almost nothing. Bill just said that there were a few updates that needed to be made and that Erikson was the best man they had for the job. Why do you ask?"

Lucas glanced back at the computer screen. "The changes he made don't help us at all. In fact, it's just the opposite - they hurt us. And to top it all off, we also have a virus in the system!"

Bridger was speechless for a moment. "You don't mean that…"

"Oh yes..." The teenager nodded. "He sabotaged us."

"But how could he have done that? Why is it only now that we are having all of these problems?"

"He put the virus in the heart of our system and installed something like an alarm clock." Nathan raised his eyebrows questioningly. The blond teen was aware of his confusion. "It's not as complicated as it sounds. He uploaded the virus and kind of let it nibble away at a few minor systems, but it did it in such a way that we wouldn't have noticed it immediately." He thought about how he could put this into simple terms. "What he also installed is something like a real alarm clock, and when the pre-programmed time came, the virus really came alive. The result of all that is what we are seeing now."

The captain was not happy about this news. "Can you destroy the virus?" He really hoped that the teen would have a positive answer for him. Otherwise, they were screwed. Sometimes it was really scary to see how much they depended on the computers.

Lucas looked thoughtfully at the screen, then shrugged. He looked Bridger in the eye. "I'm not sure. It looks like Erikson did a real good job creating the virus. I don't know if I'm better than him. I only can hope so."

Nathan began to feel uneasy. The boy had appeared much more confident with the whole Stark virus. That meant that this virus had to be much harder and more complicated. The captain knew one thing for sure - he would never let Noyce foist a so-called computer expert onto him again. From now on, he would only let Lucas work on the system. At least then he would know what was happening, and there wouldn't be any nasty surprises like this one.

On the other hand, he already knew that the boy was really good with computers. Why hadn't he told Noyce that he trusted Lucas enough to let him handle the changes in the first place? And why hadn't he allowed the teen to install one of his self-written anti-virus programs? And why hadn't he allowed the boy to take a look at Erikson's work?

"Any idea how long this could take?"

The blond teen shook his head. "No, sorry."

"Okay, but could you first try to take care of the system that will allow us to open the doors?" asked Bridger. It would be good if they could get to the other sections of the submarine again, and he was also thinking about the fact that the boy still had wet jeans on, and his hair was still damp. Dr. Westphalen would read him the riot act! He really didn't want to think about that…

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't think the virus was created that way."

"Shoot!" Bridger had another word on the tip of his tongue, but he wouldn't say it aloud. Nathan took a deep breath and patted the teen encouragingly on the shoulder. "Do what you can, and let me know if you need anything."

The young genius nodded and started to work on the problem, a highly concentrated look on his face. He had to beat this thing!

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	7. Chapter 7

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 7

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

Four hours later, the situation hadn't changed. Most of the crew, except Lucas, couldn't do anything and were, therefore, just sitting around and hoping. 

From time to time, the captain shot a glance at their youngest crew member. He got the feeling that the kid's condition was getting worse. Lucas's eyes were bright with fever, and his cheeks were really red. And, in the last half an hour, the boy had started coughing more and more. However, it looked like the teenager himself wasn't even aware of it. He was lost in a world where only he and the computer existed.

* * *

Three hours later, a soft yet triumphant sound escaped Lucas's mouth. 

Bridger sprang up and hurried over to the teenager. "What is it? Have you beaten it?"

Lucas held up his hand to try and quiet the captain. "One second… I just have to…" He didn't even finish the sentence; he was already lost in the computer again.

Nathan was silent and waited patiently next to the boy. After all, he didn't want to interrupt.

Three minutes later, and it was finally done. The lights went on, the blank screens came to life, and the door to the bridge opened. The captain looked proudly at the young genius. The teen had done it. He had beaten the virus.

Lucas sat back, exhausted. His eyes and throat were burning. In fact, he didn't feel so good overall.

Bridger raised his eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

The blond teen nodded. "Yeah, I deleted the whole virus and also repaired the damaged systems. Everything should be working fine now."

Nathan smiled. When he asked if everything was ok, he'd been referring to the computer genius himself, not the computer. But, that was typical of the teen. "Good job, Kiddo."

A brief smile flashed over Lucas's face.

The captain turned towards Tim O'Neill. "Lt. O'Neill, please contact the different sections of the seaQuest, and ask if everything is okay."

"Aye, Sir!" Tim got started immediately.

Now Bridger turned to Ford. "Commander, contact the admiral and brief him on what happened. I will contact him personally later." And finally, Nathan turned to the teenager. "And we, young man, will go to your cabin, where you will go straight to bed."

Lucas shook his head. "I want to stay a bit longer to see if everything is really working."

"No way; that wasn't a suggestion but an order."

The computer genius was grumpy, but he stood up anyway. "Aye, aye, Sir!" Suddenly, he had to grab the back of the chair he'd been sitting in. Everything was spinning around him, and his legs felt like jelly.

The captain didn't miss the fact that Lucas was practically swaying and immediately gripped him under the arm to support him. "You okay?" Concern colored his voice.

The teenager nodded. "Yeah. I think I just stood up too quickly."

Bridger was still holding onto him. "Let's go." He turned to Hitchcock because Ford had already left to contact the admiral. "Lt. Commander, you have the bridge. If anything happens, Pal me or Ford."

The dark-haired woman nodded. "Aye, Sir!"

Moving slowly, the captain and his youngest crew member left the bridge. Making their way through the corridors, they got a few pitiful looks. One glance was enough to see that Lucas wasn't feeling well at all. And why was the teen wearing the captain's uniform shirt and Bridger just a T-shirt?

When they reached Lucas's cabin, the genius dropped down on his bed. He really felt miserable, in spite of the fact that he had felt absolutely nothing while sitting in front of the computer. Why was it just now that he was feeling so terrible?

Nathan opened the wardrobe and pulled out some comfortable, and most importantly dry, clothes. He set them down on the chair. "Can you manage this alone?"

The blond boy nodded tiredly and sat up.

Bridger smiled. "Okay. I'll just go and get Dr. Westphalen then."

Lucas only nodded in response. The captain took one more quick look at the boy. That the teen hadn't protested against the doctor coming meant that he really was feeling awful. Nathan opened the door but was stopped momentarily by the teen.

"Captain, I left my Pal, my shoes, and my pullover at the Moon Pool."

The older man smiled. "No problem, I'll grab them for you. See you soon."

* * *

The captain stepped into med bay and looked around. When he spotted the doctor, he went over to her. "Hey, is everything okay here?" 

Dr. Westphalen nodded. "Yes, everything is working as it should, but I already confirmed that to Lt. O'Neill."

"Oh, I'm not coming from the bridge right now, so I didn't know." Bridger paused. "I'm actually just coming from Lucas's cabin."

Kristen looked up from her papers. "How is he feeling? Have the two days of bed rest helped a bit?"

Nathan sighed. "It's not so easy to explain. Did O'Neill tell you that we had problems with the computer system?"

Kristen nodded. "Yes, but I could have figured that out by myself." She was still looking closely at the captain. "I know there's more going on than him just leaving his bed to help you. You're hiding something!" The red-haired doctor put her hands on her hips. "What happened?"

Bridger couldn't help himself. Sometimes when he was standing in front of Dr. Westphalen, he felt so small! It just wasn't normal... "Well, when the problems suddenly started, we Pal'd Lucas to ask for his help. I wanted him to hack into our system with his computer to see if he could fix the problem. But unfortunately, he wasn't in his cabin. He was at the Moon Pool visiting Darwin. And to make matters worse, there was no computer around, so he couldn't help us. As you know, the doors were all locked."

The doctor remembered that she had been the one who said it was ok for the teenager to visit Darwin once a day. She had also said then that she feared she would regret it. And now, it was happening. Westphalen had the feeling that she wasn't going to like one bit of what Nathan was about to tell her.

The captain went on. "Shortly after, Lucas Pal'd me to ask if we still needed his help. I said yes because it was the truth. After that, he told me that he would be on the bridge soon. I wanted to know what he planned, but he just ended our conversation. I tried to reach him again, but he didn't answer, and I immediately got a terrible feeling. A few moments later, he really did appear on the bridge."

Kristen swallowed around the growing lump in her throat. "Please don't tell me he did what I think he did..."

"Depends on what you think he did."

"That he jumped into the Moon Pool and had Darwin take him to the bridge." She really hoped that wasn't the case.

Bridger nodded, surprised. "Exactly! How did you know?"

"Just a feeling. It sounds exactly like something he would do. He just can't say no when somebody asks for help."

The captain nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't have stopped it. But then, even if I had known what he was planning, I couldn't have forbidden him to do it. He would have gone ahead and done it anyway. Like I said, he knew that we needed his help urgently."

Kristen let her eyes wander around the room. "That means that he was wearing wet clothes for hours, on top of already being ill."

Bridger nodded again. "Yes. I gave him my shirt, but we didn't have anything else."

Dr. Westphalen grabbed her bag. "Let's go see Lucas."

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	8. Chapter 8

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 8

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

A short while later, the captain and doctor stepped into Lucas's cabin. They had only made a brief stop at the Moon Pool to pick up the teenager's things.

Dr. Westphalen went straight to her patient while Bridger put his things away. He put the Pal close enough so that Lucas could reach it from his bed without any problems.

The computer genius was lying in his bed. He had his blanket pulled up to his nose and was shaking.

Kristen looked sympathetically at the boy and put her hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. It's so strange. I really felt okay when I was working on the computer on the bridge, and now it's like I feel worse every minute."

The red-haired woman nodded in understanding. "That's because you were under a lot of stress. The adrenalin rush made it so that you didn't feel how ill you were. And now that the stress is gone, you feel it a lot more." She looked at him reproachfully. "Where on earth did you get the ridiculous idea that you could just go jumping into the cold water! Honestly! Jumping into cold water when you are already sick! How could you do such a stupid thing! I should take you over my knee." She shook her head in disbelief as she took her stethoscope out of her bag. She had to work very hard to keep herself from lecturing him further.

"There wasn't another way. I was the only one who could do anything, and I wanted to help," said Lucas quietly.

Bridger and Westphalen shared a knowing look.

"Pull your shirt up so that I can listen to you breathe." Kristen put her stethoscope in her ears. The teenager did as told and jumped slightly when the stethoscope touched his skin. It was cold.

A moment later, the doctor was finished. She didn't look pleased. "You don't sound good at all. Let me take a look at your throat." She took a small flashlight out of her bag. "You, young man, are officially on sick leave for the entire week, and quite possibly even longer."

The boy's eyes got big. "What?"

Kristen nodded. "You heard me. I'm sorry, Lucas, but you are really very ill! No more visits to the Moon Pool."

When Bridger saw how sad the kid looked, he felt even more pity. "I'll bring you the Vocorder so that you can talk with Darwin from here."

"Thanks," the teenager mumbled.

Dr. Westphalen now took a thermometer out of her bag. "Open your mouth so we can see if you have a fever," she said, although she didn't think that he had one at the moment. He was still shaking, and his skin was also cool to the touch. She believed that the fever would rise again in a few hours, once the effect of the cold water wore off.

A couple of minutes later, the thermometer was beeped, indicating that Lucas could take it out of his mouth.

Just as the doctor had thought, the boy didn't have a fever. She tried to figure out what she should do. She could try to warm him up to help stop the shivering... But by trying to warm him up, she might also make the fever come back.

When she saw that Lucas's teeth were beginning to chatter, she made her decision. "I'll bring you another blanket and a hot-water bottle for your feet." She smiled encouragingly at the computer genius. "We'll leave you alone for now. Just try to sleep a bit."

Lucas nodded. "Okay."

Bridger put his hand reassuringly on the teen's shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll feel better soon." Then, he turned towards the door. "See you later."

"Bye." The computer genius snuggled as deeply into his covers as he could and closed his eyes.

In the corridor, the captain looked questioningly at the doctor.

"Let's walk, then we'll speak," said Dr. Westphalen.

When they reached the next corridor, the two stopped. "How bad is it?" He hadn't missed Kristen's worried expression. There was more than what she had told the teen.

The red-haired woman took a deep breath. "I want to be honest with you. I'm really worried. Lucas's breathing didn't sound good. He has bronchitis, and I'm afraid that this could easily turn into pneumonia. After all, his immune system was weak before, and sitting around in wet clothes for hours certainly didn't help."

"Will you let him stay in his cabin, or will you transfer him to med bay?" asked the captain.

"Personally, I would prefer having him in med bay. But since I know how much he hates the place, I'll let him stay in his cabin as long as possible. He feels comfortable there, and that will probably help to speed up his recovery."

Bridger nodded. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't turn into pneumonia." He looked hopeful.

Kristen nodded. "Yes, let's hope so. It would be best is if somebody checks on him regularly."

"That goes without saying."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	9. Chapter 9

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 8

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

About 15 minutes later, Bridger knocked on Lucas's cabin door. He had the yellow Vocorder in his hand. When he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door. As quietly as possible, he stepped into the cabin. His gaze was immediately drawn to the bed. 

The computer genius had curled up under his covers and was sleeping. The captain saw that Dr. Westphalen already brought a second blanket and a hot-water bottle as well.

Bridger set the Vocorder down on the table and smiled. In the aqua tube by the boy's bed was Darwin. It looked like he was guarding the sleeping boy.

Nathan stayed in the cabin for a few more minutes, just watching over the teenager. Then, he turned and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

* * *

A few minutes later, Captain Bridger was back in his cabin, looking at the Vidphone. The admiral's secretary had just put him through to Noyce. 

"Hello, Nathan. Your commander told me to expect your call."

The captain nodded. "Hello, Bill. How much did Ford already tell you?"

"Not much. He said that you would probably want to give me the details yourself. He did say that you had huge problems with the computer system but that you managed to sort it all out." Noyce looked through some of the papers that were lying in front of him. "It's very strange. Erikson checked your system when he made the updates." Bridger raised his eyebrows; it seemed that Ford hadn't gone into any detail at all. Maybe that was for the best.

Noyce became suspicious. "Didn't you get along with Erikson? Why have you had this odd look on your face since I mentioned his name?"

"Because he was the reason for our computer problems!"

"I can't believe that. He's been working for us for years. There have never been any complaints," said the admiral.

The captain shook is head. This was really hard to believe. "Your great computer expert sabotaged us. Erikson put a very crafty virus into our system. If it hadn't been for Lucas, we would still be lying dead in the water!"

"Are you really sure that it was Erikson?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Bill shook his head. "No, of course not. But isn't it possible that the virus came from somewhere else?"

The captain shook his head. "Impossible! Lucas did a thorough search, and if he says that the virus came from Erikson, then that's what happened. I would put my hand in the fire for that boy!"

Noyce nodded. He also knew that the teenager was unbelievable when it came to computers. "I'll have a serious talk with Erikson immediately." His glance fell on the paper with today's roll call, and more specifically, on the list of those who were out with illnesses. "Wait a minute. It looks like he called in sick this morning."

"That really doesn't surprise me," said Bridger.

"I'll put a team together and send them to his home. How bad was the virus exactly?"

"Really bad! We would have been lost without Lucas. None of the others would have been able to do anything about it," Nathan explained. "I'll send you a report about everything that was affected as soon as possible."

"That would be helpful. Could I also talk with Lucas about this? I would like to hear a bit more about this virus."

"I'm afraid that will have to wait for some time."

"What do you mean?" the admiral asked, wrinkles creasing his forehead. "Is something wrong with Lucas?" Noyce liked the boy. He would feel terrible if something happened to Dr. Wolenczak's son.

"Before this whole thing happened, Lucas was already ill. And when the virus shut all of our doors, he was at the Moon Pool with Darwin." Bridger looked down. "I contacted him by Pal and asked him to hack into the seaQuest's system, but since there was no computer around, it was impossible. A short time later, Lucas suddenly appeared on the bridge. He had jumped into the Moon Pool, and Darwin had pulled him to the bridge. He sat there for hours in wet clothes while he took care of the virus." Nathan sighed. "The state of his health is declining rapidly. Dr. Westphalen fears that he might catch pneumonia as a result of this."

Bill looked at his old friend sympathetically. He could see how deeply this affected Bridger. "I'm really sorry, Nathan. Tell him that I hope he feels better soon."

The captain nodded. "Since we are already talking about Lucas, I want to let you know that I've decided not to let any other 'computer experts' on board in the future. Updates to the systems or any new programs that need to be installed will only be done by Lucas."

The admiral was speechless. When he recovered, he said "Nathan, you can't be serious. You can't put responsibility for the top UEO submarine's computer system in the hands of a 16-year old!"

"I'm absolutely serious about this. Lucas is a part of my crew, and I will treat him as such. And besides, he's probably better than all your computer experts put together." He paused to let this sink in. "In addition to that, I'd like to remind you that you were the one who allowed Dr. Wolenczak to put his son on the seaQuest in the first place. If your conscience was able to handle that, then I'm sure you can handle this as well."

Bill shook his head. "Nathan, that was something completely different…"

The captain also shook his head. "The computer system is much too important to let just anybody go messing with it. I only can only let somebody make updates and changes like that if I trust that person 100 , and the only person I trust that much is Lucas. Either every future change goes through Lucas, or you can start looking for a new captain."

For a moment, the admiral just sat there. "That's blackmail! You can't seriously think that I will agree to this."

Bridger shrugged. "You can call it what you want, but my mind is made up." His hand moved towards his uniform badge; he wouldn't hesitate to rip it off just to get his point across to Noyce.

The admiral sighed. "Okay, you win. I can't afford it to lose you. I will make sure that everything concerning the computer system will be taken care of by Lucas."

Captain Bridger smiled with satisfaction. "Great. I'm also going to let Lucas design a new anti-virus program for the seaQuest."

"Do what you want." Noyce ran a hand over his grey hair. "I'll handle the problem of Mike Erikson now."

Bridger nodded. "Do that, and call me when you find out more."

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	10. Chapter 10

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 10

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

**

* * *

**

The next morning, Bridger stepped into the cabin of his youngest crew member to see how he was. "Hey, Lucas, how are you feeling?" Nathan sat down on the chair next to the bed. "And I don't want to hear your standard answer of 'fine.' Otherwise, I'll just ask Dr. Westphalen. I know that she already examined you this morning." If the doctor hadn't told him, he would have known anyway, as he could see the pile of different prescription bottles on the table. There hadn't been that many yesterday.

The computer genius squinted up at the captain. "If she already told you, then you know everything." His voice sounded extremely scratchy.

Bridger shook his head. "She only told that me that you weren't any better. Now I want to hear from you exactly how you feel."

It was an awkward moment for the teenager. First, he felt lousy, and in addition to that, he felt extremely useless. How would he ever be accepted as a real member of the crew if he caused such problems? After all, the captain would never act the way he was if another crew member was ill. And Dr. Westphalen was constantly looking in on him. It seemed that he only caused problems. "I have a fever, a sore throat, a headache, a cold, and an earache." A heavy coughing fit shook him, and it was several moments before he was able to breathe normally again. "Oh, and when I breathe in too deeply, I have to cough."

"Then it's probably better if you try to breathe shallow breaths."

"Real funny. What do you think I'm trying to do?" He took a kleenex and blew his nose.

Just looking at Lucas you had to feel sorry for him. "And how is your breathing otherwise?"

"Not so great. Because of the cold I can't breathe through my nose, and when I breathe through my mouth it burns the windpipe going down."

Bridger briefly put his hand on the boy's forehead. "How high is your fever?"

"The last time Dr. Westphalen checked it was 103.5. I have no idea if it's gone up or down." As his eyes started to drift, the blond boy painfully tried to pull himself together.

"Your forehead is really warm to the touch. Should I bring you an ice pack or a cloth for your forehead?" asked Nathan sympathetically. He always found that pleasant when he had a headache.

The teenager nodded. "That would be really great." He reached down next to him and pulled up a warm ice pack. "Dr. Westphalen brought me that this morning, but it's already melted. Could you maybe take it with you and put it back in the freezer?"

The captain nodded and smiled. "Yeah, no problem." He took a short look around the cabin. "Do you want me to bring you something from my movie collection? You could play it on his computer and pass the time a little bit."

For a moment, Lucas didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to such nice treatment. "Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately I'll have to pass. The whole thing has really gotten to my sinuses. Also, anytime I move my eyes around they hurt. I don't think watching a movie, or reading a book or playing on the computer for that matter, is such a good idea at the moment."

"Oh, that's annoying." The older man had an idea. "I have a few audio-books. If you want I could loan you a few. Interested?"

The boy's eyes literally lit up. "Interested? Of course I'm interested! I love audio-books." But then he remembered his manners. "Umm… I mean I would be very happy if you could loan me one of them."

Bridger grinned and ruffled the boy's hair carefully with his hand. "It's alright." He stood up. "I'll be back in a few minutes with an audio-book and an ice pack."

* * *

Around 2:00 p.m., Lt. Krieg stepped into the computer genius's cabin to collect the lunch plate that Miguel Ortiz had brought nearly an hour before. When Ben realized that Lucas's eyes were closed, he tried to be as quiet as possible. The story that was playing on the computer caught the officer's attention. He knew that he had heard the story somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

When the teenager heard Ben, he opened his eyes and pushed the stop button on his computer.

"Hi, Lucas, I hope I didn't wake you up."

The boy shook his head slightly. "No, don't worry. I was just listening to a book." Again he was overtaken by a coughing fit.

When Krieg reached for the lunch plate, he saw that more than half of the meal was left on it. Only the glass of juice was empty. "Not hungry?"

"Sorry, but I just couldn't force anymore of it down."

Ben smiled. "Don't worry, you don't need to justify it to me; I'm not Dr. Westphalen." He looked in the direction of the computer. "What are you listening to?"

"The captain brought me some of his audio-books. At the moment I'm listening to "The Lord of the Rings"."

"Well that was nice of Bridger." Now he knew why the story had seemed so familiar to him. Robert had always loved this audio-book and had listened to it often. Ben's glance fell on the book's case. On the corner of the front was a small sticker. The black- haired man had to take a deep breath. He would recognize that sticker anywhere. Bobby had pasted those on nearly all of his things so that no one would take his stuff by mistake. The captain had loaned Lucas Robert's copy of "The Lord of the Rings". The blond teen must really mean something to him if Bridger loaned him that. The moral officer paused for a moment; should he mention that? He looked thoughtfully at the computer genius. "Bobby always said it was great to have him as a father."

Lucas knew that Krieg was referring to Bridger's dead son, Robert. Ben and Robert had been at the academy together. "Yeah, I would think so too." He glanced down and bit his lip.

Somehow, a dark mood had suddenly settled over them; each was lost in his own thoughts. Krieg had lost a good friend, and Lucas had "lost" a family, something he desperately wished to have.

The supply officer was the first to finally shake off those thoughts. "Well, I guess I should go. Not that I need to justify where I've been..."

When Ben had left the cabin, the teenager pushed the button on his computer and the story continued where it had stopped. He snuggled down in his covers and closed his eyes.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	11. Chapter 11

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 11

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

That afternoon, Bridger took a quick peek into Lucas's cabin to see how the teenager was feeling. He said down on the chair next to the bed. "How are you doing?" 

The computer genius shrugged. "Not any better than this morning."

Nathan nodded sympathetically. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I spoke with Admiral Noyce yesterday." He paused briefly but then went on. "I talked with him about our computer system." Bridger smiled; he knew that this next piece of information would brighten Lucas's mood. "In the future, you are going to be the only one who is allowed to install any new programs or make any changes to the ship's systems. I'm not too keen for something like this whole Erikson mess to ever happen again."

The blond teen nodded. "Cool." He tried to suppress a cough.

"And it gets even better. You are allowed to design a new anti-virus program for the seaQuest."

Lucas's eyes got big. "Really?"

Bridger nodded. "Yes. I can remember quite clearly that somebody mentioned to me in passing that the best programs against hackers and viruses were written by hackers themselves, and that means I came to the right place."

The teenager practically lit up. "Absolutely! I can't wait, I'd get started this minute if I could!"

"I dare you! The only thing you will be doing right now is concentrating on getting well again," said the captain, his tone serious. He studied his youngest crew member closely. "Promise me that you won't get started on this until Dr. Westphalen gives you a clean bill of health." He knew that he could trust Lucas's word.

"Okay." The teenager looked curiously at the older man. "Do you know anything more about Mike Erikson? For example, why he put the virus in our system?" He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose.

"The admiral called me an hour ago to explain that," answered the captain, nodding. "They caught Erikson and interviewed him." Bridger slowly shook his head in disbelief. "The whole thing is very confusing."

Lucas wrinkled his forehead for a moment but then winced in pain; it was better to keep his facial muscles relaxed as long as he wasn't feeling well. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Erikson planned out the whole thing to get more money and recognition. He thought nobody would find out that he was the one who installed the virus in our system to begin with, and he wanted to turn up as the savior of the seaQuest. He didn't even think about the fact that he blocked our communications to the outside world and that it wouldn't be possible for us the ask the UEO for help. Oh, and he also hadn't counted on you in his plans," explained Nathan.

The teen thought about this for a moment. "In other words, he brought the seaQuest to a stand still on purpose. He thought that no one on board could do anything to fix it and that you would call the UEO and beg for help. The UEO, in turn, would go to Erikson because he was already familiar with our system. A shuttle would have brought him here, the doors would have been forced open somehow, and Erikson would have solved all of our problems in a second and would be the big hero!"

The captain nodded. He had long ago given up being surprised by how quickly the boy grasped concepts. "The way you say it almost makes it sound logical." Nathan's glance fell on the Aqua Tube where the dolphin was swimming. "Has Darwin already been outside to hunt for fish himself?"

Lucas shook his head as carefully as possible; every quick movement made his head feel like it would explode. "No, I wanted to send him out but he refused to go."

Bridger nodded in understanding. His wet friend had taken the teenager quickly into his heart. You almost always saw them together. Maybe it was just the dolphin's instincts that told him he had to stay with Lucas because he was sick. After all, out in the wild a dolphin would never leave one of its own while it was sick The captain picked up the Vocorder. "Hey, Darwin, swim to the Moon Pool. I'll meet you there."

It looked like the animal was shaking his head. "No.Darwin stays with Lucas."

Bridger looked at the dolphin speechlessly for a moment. So much for Darwin being his dolphin; it seemed that the majority of his loyalty now lay with Lucas.

The computer genius shrugged and looked at the captain. "Don't look at me, I already told you." The boy turned to the window. "Hey, Darwin, you really can leave me. I'm going to try to sleep. You'll only get bored here. And maybe you'll see something nice out in the ocean that you can tell me about later."

The dolphin hesitated for a moment but then swam slowly in the direction of the Moon Pool.

The captain shook his head in amazement, then, he stood up to follow Darwin. "See you later, Lucas."

"Sure." The teenager leaned toward the computer and started "The Lord of The Rings" audio-book where he had stopped it the last time.

* * *

When Bridger reached the Moon Pool, he bent down so that his elbows were resting on the edge of the pool. "I'll open the doors so that you can go out to eat and swim." Of course the dolphin could swim through the entire seaQuest, but the ocean just gave him more room to move around. 

Again, it seemed like the animal was shaking his head. "No. Darwin stays with Lucas."

The captain sighed inwardly. He'd assumed that they had already sorted this out, but it seemed that he had assumed wrong. "I thought you agreed to leave the seaQuest to go hunting."

It took a moment for the Vocorder to translate the clicks and whistles. "Darwin stays with Lucas. Take care."

Nathan smiled. "That's really nice of you, but you don't need to do that. Dr. Westphalen and I will take care of him."

"Darwin Lucas friend."

"I know, but I'm also his friend, and I will take care of him just as well as you. You really don't need to worry. It's okay to leave him for a bit." Somehow, he had to convince Darwin that it was okay to swim outside to hunt.

Again a head shake. "Never leave small dolphin alone. Shark will come. Never leave sick dolphin alone."

Bridger's forehead wrinkled in thought. It seemed that this was not going to be easy. "Lucas isn't a dolphin child, he's a human child. And with humans, it is okay to leave them alone from time to time when they are sick. Sometimes it's even important to do that because that's when they can really rest. And besides, there are no sharks on the seaQuest." On the submarine there were other dangers, but since it was relatively peaceful at the moment with no major crisis in sight. The greatest danger was probably a sometimes-shifty supply officer.

"Darwin stay."

Nathan sighed; the dolphin was more stubborn than a pack of mules. "Darwin, you have to go outside to eat and go to the surface from time to time, otherwise you'll get sick. And if that happens, Lucas will be very worried about you and will probably blame himself. He really doesn't need that right now. Do you want that?" Okay, that felt a little bit like blackmail.

The animal shook his head. "No."

Bridger nodded. "Good. So you'll swim out when I open the doors?"

"Yes."

The captain smiled. "Okay."

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	12. Chapter 12

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 12

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

* * *

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

The next day, it was clear that Lucas had been really lucky and didn't have pneumonia. His headache was not as bad as before, and his fever had gone down a bit. Aside from the headache and fever, though, he felt almost the same as before.

In the afternoon Benjamin Krieg, Tim O'Neill, and Miguel Ortiz paid the youngest crew member a visit.

Lucas was sitting up in bed with the covers pulled up around him. Krieg sat on the edge of the bed while Tim made himself comfortable on the floor. Ortiz had taken the only chair and turned it around so that his arms rested on the back as he sat.

The moral officer started handing everyone a pen and piece of paper. "The game is simple. Each of us picks a famous person and writes the person's name on the paper without letting the others see."

O'Neill looked at Krieg skeptically. "What's your idea of famous?"

"You know, some kind of athlete, politician, actor, something like that. It just has to be somebody who we all know." Ben glanced quickly at the teen. "That means no scientist we've never heard of, and that includes famous hackers."

Lucas grinned. "Don't worry, I've played this game before." They could clearly hear that the boy still had a sore throat.

"Good. Anyway, we mix up the papers and then one of us has to draw one, but it's very important that the one who draws doesn't see what's written on it. Then, someone else will take the paper and stick it to the forehead of the person who drew so that person can't see what it says."

Tim's eyes got big. "Stick it to the forehead?"

Krieg held up a roll of tape. "Don't worry, it's just scotch tape. Anyway, the person with the piece of paper on their forehead has to figure out who he is. To do that, he has to ask questions, but they can only be yes or no questions. Everybody got that?"

Miguel and Lucas nodded. O'Neill, on the other hand, didn't seem to be getting it. "Not really."

The supply officer just waved his hand. "No problem, you'll understand when we start playing. So, let's try and think of somebody famous."

About a minute later, everybody had written something down and had thrown their papers in Lucas's baseball cap. They mixed them up, and Ortiz drew the first paper. Ben took the paper from him and stuck it on Miguel's forhead with the tape.

The teenager grinned when he saw what was written on it. He was positive that Krieg had written this. Tim was surprised. You could do that?

Miguel glanced at each person in turn. "Am I male?"

The others shook their heads in unison.

"Okay, that means I'm female. Am I some kind of famous sport star?"

"No."

"Musician?"

Again, they shook their heads. "No."

The Cuban thought for a moment. "Have I been on TV?"

"Yes."

"Am I regularly seen on TV?"

The others looked at each other questioningly. They couldn't really answer that with a simple yes or no. Ben decided that it was okay to say a little bit more. "No, not at the moment."

Miguel nodded. "Okay, that means that there was a time when I was regularly on TV."

"Yes," said Tim.

Ortiz smiled. "That was more of a note to self than a question, but thanks for the answer." He paused a moment to think. "Did I have my own talk show or gameshow or anything like that?"

Lucas shook his head while reaching for a tissue. "No."

"Did I have my own TV show at all?"

The blond boy nodded and decided to give him a little bit more. "Yeah, as well."

Ben looked darkly at the teen. "Hey, why don't you just tell him who he is?"

The computer genius rolled his eyes. The pain in his sinuses had lessened a bit during the night, but the pains in his ear had gotten worse. "I think we should keep this whole thing fair. He really has a hard one. A little 'as well' won't hurt."

Miguel decided to continue asking questions. "Did I also star in a movie?"

O'Neill nodded. "Yes."

"More than one movie?"

"Yes."

Ortiz was thinking very hard about this. "Was there anything else besides the TV show or the movie?"

"No."

"Anything else outside the TV?"

Ben and Tim looked at each other and shrugged. Lucas, however, was nodding. He had just seen this on an online auction. "Yes."

"Books?" Miguel could clearly remember that there were a lot of TV shows that spawned books, and vice versa.

"I have to admit that I don't know for sure, but it's very possible," said the teen thoughtfully.

Ortiz scratched his head. "That means that there still has to be something else I've done." He thought again. "Music?" After all, there where a lot of actors who also tried their hands at singing.

They all shook with their heads. "No."

"Can't you guys give me a hint of some kind? Otherwise I'll never get this." The Cuban man said pleadingingly.

Tim looked a bit befuddled. "That's okay." After all, neither he nor Ben had any idea what the teen had been talking about.

Lucas nodded. "The other place you've been seen is on paper."

"Paper, paper…" Ortiz was thinking very hard. "Comics!"

The blond boy nodded. "Yes."

Miguel nodded. "Great, I'm Spiderman!"

"No," the computer genius smiled. "Remember, you're female."

"Oh, right... Wonder Woman?"

Again the teen shook his head. "No."

"Bat-Girl?" he asked almost timidly.

"No." O'Neill wrinkled his forehead. "Did Bat-Girl have a TV show?"

Krieg nodded. "I think so, but i think it was only a cartoon show." Then he turned back to Ortiz once more. "Don't think too much about comics, the TV show and movies are more important."

"Okay," sighed Ortiz. "I feel like you're messing with me, mostly because you looked so strange when we started playing. I'm starting to believe that I don't really exist."

"What do you mean?" asked Tim.

"I could be a cartoon character, or something like that. Like Daisy Duck or Minnie Mouse."

The others shook their heads. "No."

O'Neill felt sorry for Ortiz and decided to take pity on him. He really hoped that he wouldn't get such a difficult person. "But stay on that track."

The supply officer shot the lieutenant an angry look but didn't say anything.

"Am I a puppet? You know, like on 'Sesame Street'?" asked Miguel.

"No."

For a moment Ortiz was silent. What did puppets and cartoon characters have in common… Suddenly he got an idea. "Am I an animal?"

The others smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

The dark-haired man sighed. "Great, it's not like there are that many TV shows or movies with animals in them." The others could only smile at that. "Is the show at least named after me?"

"Yes."

"Good, that means I have the leading role." Again the Cuban was silent as he tried to think about it all. He was an animal that had a TV show that was named after him, and there had also been movies. And comics - that was his clue! Comics were only associated with very old shows, not with new stuff. Now he just had to figure out what kind of show, and then he would knew who he was.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Any ideas who Miguel is?

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	13. Chapter 13

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 13

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

"Am I Flipper?" After all, the dolphin was world-famous, and it would be fitting, seeing as they were on the seaQuest.

"No, Flipper was male."

"Then maybe Fury?" Maybe the black wonder horse would be the one.

"No, also male."

"Black Beauty?"

"No."

"Skippy, you know, the kangaroo?"

"No."

Now Miguel could only think of one animal that had been in a TV show, movie, or comic. He couldn't imagine that it would be a newer animal. "Then I have to be Lassie."

The others smiled and applauded. "Yes!"

Ortiz breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, I thought I'd never get it." He looked at the others. "Who's next? Lucas?"

The teenager nodded. "Okay." He drew a piece of paper and passed it to Miguel, who taped it to his forehead. While this was happening, he observed the other's faces closely. It looked as if O'Neill had written it. Tim looked pretty sheepish, at any rate. That meant that the famous person on the paper was someone totally normal and really famous. "Am I male?"

The others nodded. "Yes."

"And I'm human?" Even though he was already sure about it, he thought it was better to ask, just to be on the safe side.

"Yes."

The computer genius tried to think of a question that would give him a lot of information. "Am I still alive?"

Ben shook his head. "No." The boy was good; he had definitely played this game more than once.

"Did I die after 2000?"

"No."

"After 1980?" Lucas had decided to continue in 20-year increments.

Again, the others shook their heads. "No."

"After 1960?"

"Yes."

"After 1970?"

"Yes."

He decided to stop that line of questioning there. If he tried to find the specific year and the others were wrong about it, it would end up confusing him more than helping. "Okay, that means I died somewhere between 1970 and 1980." He thought for a moment. Who would O'Neill pick… "Was I a politician?"

"No."

"An author?"

"No."

"A scientist?"

Again, he got a "No" answer.

"Was I a musician?"

Miguel Ortiz nodded. "Yes, mainly."

Ben shook his head in irritation. Why couldn't any of these people keep their big mouths shut? "Why don't you tell him more? He's almost gotten it. He'll know within five questions who he is."

Before Ortiz could say anything in his own defense, Lucas decided to go on. "Did I also act?"

Krieg nodded - he knew it! The teen would get it right away. "Yes."

Lucas already had a sneaking suspicion who he was. Died between 1970 and 1980, made music, and also acted. That could only mean one person when you considered it was O'Neill's pick.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Any ideas who Lucas is?

I know this chapter is short, but I want to give the readers also a chance to guess who everybody is in this game.

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	14. Chapter 14

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 14

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Lucas already had a sneaking suspicion who he was. Died between 1970 and 1980, made music, and also acted. That could only mean one person when you considered it was O'Neill's pick.

"I'm Elvis Presley – the King!"

Tim and Miguel smiled. The supply officer, on the other hand, looked a bit sour. That had gone way too fast. "Come on, Tim, it's your turn now." Krieg held out the baseball cap, which now had only two pieces of paper in it.

O'Neill chose one and gave it to Miguel, who taped it to his forehead. The Cuban realized that it was the paper he had written.

Tim sighed and thought for a moment. He hated games like this, where he was the center of attention. "Am I male?"

The other three nodded.

"Am I human?"

"Yes."

O'Neill thought about one of Lucas's first questions. "Am I still alive?"

The others shook their heads. "No."

Tim pushed his glasses a up on his nose. "Have I been dead a long time? Umm... I mean… did I die before 2000?"

Ben and Miguel nodded while the teenager blew his nose.

"Was I still alive in 1980?"

Ortiz shook his head. "No."

"And 1960? Was I alive then?"

Again he was met with shaking heads. "No."

This was going really far back. "Was I dead in 1940?"

Lucas shook his head, already looking for a new tissue. "No."

Tim thought it over. He died somewhere between 1940 and 1960. "Was I still young when I died?"

"No."

"Was I old?"

The others nodded. "Yes."

O'Neill decided that it would now be best to find out in which category he was famous. "Was I a big sports star?"

"No."

"Was I an actor?"

"No," came the answer.

"Politician?"

"No."

"Musician?"

"No," said Ben, already thinking about the fact that he would be going next. Hmmm... What would be written on his piece of paper?

"A scientist?"

"Yes."

Tim wrinkled his forehead. "A very famous one?"

Again the others were nodding.

O'Neill thought about this for some time. He could try to narrow down which area of science, or he could just guess. He decided to go for it. Ben and Miguel didn't know that many scientists, but if Lucas had picked this one, then maybe it would have been better to know more about the field of science.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

To Be Continued…

Any ideas who Tim is?

I know this chapter is short, but I want to give the readers also a chance to guess who everybody is in this game.

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	15. Chapter 15

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 15

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

"Am I maybe Albert Einstein?"

The others nodded enthusiastically.

"Great, you got it!" The Cuban reached into the baseball cap and pulled out the last piece of paper. He opened it carefully so that Krieg couldn't see it. When Miguel saw what was written on it, he had to stop himself from snorting out loud. This one could only be Lucas's.

The morale officer tried to observe the others while Ortiz taped the paper to his forehead. Lucas looked as though butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, and O'Neill's eyes had gotten huge as he looked at the paper a second time to make sure he had read it correctly. He really must be somebody great…"Okay, am I female?"

Miguel shook his head. He nearly bit his tongue trying to stay serious. "No, at least not that I know of."

Ben studied him skeptically. What did that mean? "Good, that means I'm male."

The others nodded. "Yes."

"Am I human?"

Again the heads nodded. "Yes."

Krieg thought for a second about trying to look up, but it was impossible to see what was written on the paper. "Am I already dead?"

O'Neill shook his head. "No."

"Am I already old?"

"Define old," said Lucas. After all, that was kind of relative.

"I mean over 50."

The teenager shook his head. "No, then you are not old."

"Am I an athlete?" Ben asked hopefully. He knew a lot of sports stars.

The others shook their heads. "No."

"Actor?"

Again a "No."

"A musician."

"No."

"Politician?"

"No."

"Scientist?"

"No."

Krieg wrinkled his forehead. He was slowly running out of categories. "News anchor?"

And again a "No."

"Artist?"

"No."

"Am I royalty, like a king or something?"

"No."

"Hey, folks, I have to be something." He put his nose up. "Do I have my own TV show or anything like that?"

"No."

The morale officer scratched his head - this was turning into a big deal. "Am I even on TV?"

O'Neill shook his head. "No."

Krieg's eyes got big. "Jeez..." Thoughtfully he let his gaze wander around the room. "Did I write a book?"

"No."

"Am I a famous journalist?"

"No."

This was enough to drive someone nuts. "Am I some kind of guru?"

The others shook their heads. "No."

"A famous doctor?"

Again the heads shook.

"A designer?"

"No."

If this went on much longer, he would never find out what was written on his paper. Suddenly Ben got an idea. After all, he was playing with Lucas. "Am I a computer genius? A world-famous hacker or whatever you call them?"

The teenager ignored the little snub. "Certainly not!"

"Man, this is difficult." Krieg decided to go in another direction. Maybe that would help. "Do I have light hair?"

"No."

"Dark hair?"

"Yes."

"Pale skin?"

They were all nodding. "Yes."

The supply officer sighed. "Could it be that you are pulling my leg? I'm starting to believe that I don't really exist!"

The blond boy was outraged. "Of course you exist!"

Ben made a face. "And I'm really famous?"

Lucas nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"And I also know who this person is?"

Miguel grinned. "Yes."

Krieg wrinkled his forehead. "Whoever this person is, I'm sure that I don't like him."

The computer genius had to laugh at that comment, just as Tim and Miguel did, but it led to a coughing fit. He could barely get enough air and his eyes were tearing up.

When Lucas had calmed down again, Ben put his hand sympathetically on the boy's shoulder. "Everything okay?"

The teen nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Krieg now went back to the problem at hand. Who could it be, and why had the others laughed so suddenly? "I don't think I'll ever find the right answer. I want a clue."

The others looked at each other - should they give him a hint? Finally they decided that it was okay. "You even know this person personally," said Tim.

The moral officer's eyes got big. "Really? I don't know any celebrities." He scratched his head. "Or do I? My aunt Martha always wins the first prize at this local all-you-can-eat pie-eating contest, but I don't think that makes her famous…"

"We didn't mean like that."

It looked like they would have to give him more. "This person works for the UEO." Miguel decided that Ben would never figure it out otherwise.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

To Be Continued…

Any ideas who Ben is?

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	16. Chapter 16

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 16

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

* * *

"Really?" Krieg was silent for a moment. "Is he also on the seaQuest?"

The others were nodding. "Yes."

Krieg turned up his nose. He now knew who they were talking about, but he wasn't that famous… "Captain Bridger."

The others shook their heads. "No!"

"Hey guys, it has to be Bridger. I ruled everybody else out with my other questions before."

Lucas shook his head. "No, that's not true. You're forgetting a very important person. And by the way, you ruled out Bridger with your other questions too. He is over 50, and his hair is more grey than dark."

"Do we have a famous cook in the kitchen?" Ben was getting really annoyed.

"No, you're still forgetting someone important," said the teenager.

"Who did I forget?" Krieg's voice had gotten louder.

Now the computer genius was 100 sure that Ben would never get it on his own. They couldn't make it any clearer. "You forgot yourself."

Now the supply officer was totally confused. "What?" But then it suddenly dawned on him. He ripped the paper from his forehead and read: Lt. Benjamin Krieg. In shock, he looked at the letters that clearly Lucas had written. If the boy wasn't so sick he would have pulled him up in a fireman's carry and thrown him in the Moon Pool. But since he was sick…

The teenager was grinning wildly, really sad that he didn't have camera. The look on Ben's face when he suddenly understood was priceless. "Do you remember my first day on the seaQuest? You were kind of mean at first, but when you realized who I was and what I was capable of, you were suddenly extreme friendly. You told me that I could come to you with everything, no matter what. You could get anything. After all, you were the famous and notorious Lt. Krieg. Nobody could refuse you anything because celebrities always get special treatment. "

Ben put his head in his hands and shook it. What had he done to deserve this?

* * *

To Be Continued…

I know that was more that short. But I wanted this as an own chapter before I post the end of the story. This means only one more chapter left...

Written 2005 / Translated Spring 2006


	17. Chapter 17

**Deep Blue Blackmail**

Chapter 17

By Kiddo

_In Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis_

"Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)

"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)

Disclaimer: I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this fanfiction. Mike Erikson is my own creation.

A big "Thank You" goes to my beta reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

Reviews and feedback are always welcome.

This chapter is for Peppy to cheer her up. Get well soon!

* * *

Around 7 p.m. that evening, Lucas was looking around his cabin for tissues. Unfortunately, his search wasn't successful. The only thing he had found was one last tissue, which he immediately stuffed in his pocket. 

The teenager realized that he had to ask Krieg for tissues. He looked at his watch and frowned. The morale officer had told him that afternoon that he had a date with one of the nurses from medbay this evening, and Lucas was sure that he wouldn't want to be disturbed. But on the other hand, he really needed some tissues…

The young man decided to go and get a box of tissues himself. After all, he knew where Ben kept them, and he could tell Krieg about taking one later so that the supply officer could mark it on his inventory sheet.

The teenager slipped into his blue sneakers and pulled on a sweatshirt. Then, he left the cabin and turned in the direction of the storeroom. He still wasn't allowed to leave his cabin, or even his bed really, but he decided that this little trip couldn't hurt. Besides, Dr. Westphalen and Bridger would probably never know. He just had to pay attention so that he wouldn't run into one of them.

When he reached the storeroom, it took Lucas a moment to find a box of 100 tissues. He immediately opened it and pulled one out so he could blow his nose. After he blew his nose, the computer genius got the feeling that his little trip hadn't been such a good idea after all. He felt dizzy and weak.

The teenager took a few deep breaths, then grabbed the tissue box in his left hand and headed back towards his cabin. About 200 meters later, he had to put his hand on the wall for support. The dizziness was getting worse, and everything was spinning around him. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, but unfortunately, that only led to a fresh coughing fit. Things got worse as he started seeing little stars.

When the boy felt a bit better, he went on, but about 10 steps later, it got so bad that he had to sit down on the floor. He almost felt like he was going to pass out.

"Lucas!" When Captain Bridger saw the teen he immediately rushed to his side. The young genius jumped a bit when he heard his name. Just the person he had tried to avoid. "What happened?" Bridger knelt down next to him and looked at him worriedly.

The computer genius had his eyes closed. "I think the blood rushed out of my head for a second. I got really dizzy all of a sudden. It felt weird."

The older man nodded. "That's exactly why you're supposed to stay in bed." He studied the boy. "What are you doing up?"

Lucas opened his eyes and held up the box of tissues. "I ran out of tissues."

Nathan shook his head but didn't say anything. There were more important things at the moment. "Can you stand up?" The floor had to be cold and uncomfortable.

The blond teen nodded. "I think so."

"Good, then let's get you back back to your cabin." Bridger helped the boy to stand up, as he was still quite shaky.

The whole way back to Lucas's cabin, the captain supported his youngest crew member. The boy was quite weak and looked extremely pale. Because they had to take it slow, it took some time for them to reach the cabin.

Finally they reached the cabin, and Lucas sat down on his bed and pulled his shoes and sweatshirt off. He intentionally didn't lie down right away because he guessed that such a sudden movement would only make him feel dizzier at the moment. He really felt awful.

Bridger looked closely at the computer genius. "Better?"

The teenager nodded gently. "Yeah, I think so. I think I just overdid it. I thought that because I felt better this afternoon when the others were here that it would be okay if I walked a short distance."

The captain nodded. "You shouldn't ignore your condition. There is a good reason why Dr. Westphalen told you to stay in bed and took you off duty. She is a good doctor; she knows what she's doing."

Lucas made a face. "I know," he said grudgingly, given his dislike of doctors.

Nathan smiled and sat down across from teenager on the chair. "Next time you need something, just call one of us. I don't want you going anywhere on your own."

The blond boy looked sideways, trying to avoid Bridger's eyes. "I didn't want to make any trouble."

The captain shook his head. "You aren't, you're just sick, and we want to take care of you to make sure that you are okay."

Lucas looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry because I cause so many problems."

Bridger felt a prick in his heart. Where was the teenager who at their first meeting had once made fun of the hand signals he used with Darwin? Maybe this was just the effect of the Wolenczaks' lack of parental love for their son. Maybe Lucas's confident and sometimes even arrogant behavior was a kind of cover that he hid behind so that he wouldn't get hurt. Who knew?

"Lucas, you aren't causing any problems."

The boy was still looking at the floor as if there was something really interesting there. He just wasn't used to this kind of treatment - people that he'd only known for a short time, caring for him this much. His parents had never done that. He had almost always been a problem for them, so how could he believe that that wasn't the case on the seaQuest?

"Please, look at me." Bridger waited until the teen lifted his head and looked at him. "You aren't causing any problems." Nathan had the feeling that what Lucas had said was prompted by more than just his momentary illness. "Okay. I have to admit that when I first heard a 16-year old was going to be on board I had my doubts, but they disappeared quickly. I am more than happy that you are here!" The older man smiled. "Actually, I really don't know what we would do without you. You are irreplaceable to the crew but also to me. I know that I can trust you blindly, and that whatever you do, you put your whole heart into it."

"Thanks." Lucas voice sounded husky, and this time it wasn't because of his sore throat.

Nathan smiled again and briefly ruffled the boy's hair. "No problem. I think we all need to hear things like that from time to time." The captain stood up. "So, I'll go now so you can get some rest. Pal me if you need anything, no matter what time it is." He turned to the door. "Sleep well, Kiddo."

The computer genius nodded thoughtfully. "Good night, Captain, and thanks again."

Bridger smiled before he closed the door behind him. "Anytime, anytime."

Now that the teenager was alone, he lay down in his bed and snuggled into his covers. Suddenly being sick and not being allowed to work didn't feel so bad anymore. Since his conversation with the captain, he felt warm inside. It was like he had finally arrived, like he had found his real home. With a happy smile playing on his lips, he fell asleep.

The End

Written 2005/ Translated Spring 2006

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I tried to post it a few times. But everytime I tried it wasn't working.


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